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The night Lou Richards went ‘Lip to Lip’ with Ali he great Lou Richards played a significant role in finals, both as a player T for Collingwood (14 finals from 1945-53 including a premiership in 1953), and after his playing career as a newspaper columnist and radio personality. He also featured on various television programs and enjoyed a successful stint as the main commentator for Channel Seven’s coverage of the game. In 1989, Lou: My Wonderful Life was released, the book detailing his “I get paid for being a fool. What’s rise to the top of two fields. your reason?” came back the reply. Earlier this week, Richards – now “Okay, Ali, you’ve got the same old 89 – was in attendance when an lip, but you’ve lost your zip.” updated version of Lou was launched “Let’s get outside,” I whispered to my He gave me that same look he’d cheeky: Lou Richards’ given Smoking Joe and, in the distant at the MCG. The latest version has team. We’d been walking to and fro colourful life on and off the a foreword by Pies president Eddie along the footpath outside the club for field has been updated in past, Sonny Liston, and to my great McGuire, a new section outlining about 20 minutes when a Rolls Royce the re-release of his book. relief he walked away and started Richards’ achievements in later life glided to a halt alongside us. The door signing autographs for some young and a selection of great photos. opened and out stepped the ‘Louisville Aboriginal teenagers. We still needed Here is an excerpt detailing his Lip’. Sometimes to colour this story I a picture. Alex Gall had been snapping meeting in 1979 with champion recount how he walked straight over away as I conducted my in-depth boxer . to me and grabbed me by the hand, interrogation but we needed that saying, “Louie, it’s great to see you. I’ve special snap. As he turned towards It started as just another Friday. heard all about you.” In fact, he looked the door, he stopped, looking me up It ended as one of the classic sporting straight through me. I had one eye on and down. Oh no, I’ve gone too far this confrontations and a day I’ll never my watch, knowing I had to be on the time, I thought as he stepped up to me. forget. I was sitting back learning my four o’clock flight back to Melbourne Little Louie the quivering coward numbers for a match that evening when and the minutes had been ticking was now toe to toe with his idol at the phone woke me. It was Geoff Jones, away at an alarming rate. last. He bent down and wrapped those the deputy chief of staff of The Sun. “Welcome to the club,” I said as I massive arms around me and gave me “Louie, we want you to drop held out my shaking paw. “Nice to be the biggest bear hug in history. Gosh, everything and grab the one o’clock here,” Mr Ali replied. In a second it he had smooth skin for a fighter. plane for . We want you to dawned on me: he actually thought I get paid As my feet hit the footpath he was interview Muhammad Ali,” Jones said. I was the welcoming committee, off and so was I on the plane back to “But it’s 10 to 12 now.” “You’ll probably the president of the joint. Melbourne with a picture that graces make it,” he reassured me. “We’ve ‘The Lip’ was in Sydney for an for being my mantlepiece to this day. It wasn’t already sent the cab.” So that exhibition bout against a former foe, until we were on the plane that Alex Gall autumn Friday back in 1979 I found the European champ of a fool. confided in me. “We were very lucky, myself at the Woolloomooloo Police days past, Joe Bugner, and was on his Louie,” he said. “It was the last shot on Citizens’ Boys club in Sydney with way to a sparring session with another What’s that roll of film.” The next morning that photographer Alex Gall and reporter ex-champ, . bear hug was all over the front page of Peter Rees. The place was packed to “Don’t wash your hand,” I told your The Sun and the story adorned the top the rafters. I took one look and knew him. “You can tell them all back in the of page three. ‘Battle of the big mouths’ our chances of getting an exclusive States that this is the hand that shook reason? screamed the posters. ‘Lip to Lip’ was the front-page headline. with the great man were about as Lou Richards’ hand.” MUHAMMAD ALI slim as my chances of lasting 15 He looked at me with a touch TO LOU RICHARDS LOU: MY WONDERFUL LIFE, WITH STEPHEN seconds in the ring with him. of incredulity. PHILLIPS (SLATTERY MEDIA GROUP, $32.95 RRP)

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